No hunting ban U-turn, say voters

Most voters do not want the Tories to give MPs the chance to reverse the ban on hunting with hounds if they take power, a poll has shown.

The survey, commissioned from YouGov by the League Against Cruel Sports, found 70% were opposed to Parliamentary time being devoted to a Bill.

David Cameron has pledged to introduce legislation offering the option of a repeal of the ban with MPs given a free vote on the issue.

League chairman John Cooper said: "Turning the clock back to cruelty is not an option for Cameron.

"We all know that he and members of his shadow cabinet have all enjoyed hunting wild animals for fun but, as the expenses scandal has shown, the public have had enough of self-interested MPs."

The League said its monitoring of 38 hunts over a total of 90 days during the last season had shown 63% engaged in "suspicious activity consistent with traditional hunting practices".

"We know that some hunts are breaking the law and all the evidence shows that they are becoming more and more secretive about the times and locations of their meets," Douglas Batchelor, the League's chief executive, said.

"One wouldn't expect a burglar to publish a list of properties he plans to steal from, and so we're not surprised hunts are taking the same approach,"

Just over one in five voters (21%) said MPs should be allowed to reopen the debate.